Spain vs United States: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Spain
0.4%
in 2020
United States
0.4%
in 2020
Spain rank
74th
United States rank
75th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Spain
- United States
How they compare
Spain currently reports 0.4% against 0.4% in United States, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States ahead.
Spain ranks 74th and United States ranks 75th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Spain averaged higher in 2 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.1% | United States |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | United States |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Spain |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | United States |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Spain or United States?
- Spain, at 0.4% against 0.4% in United States as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Spain and United States?
- 0.0%, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United States?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Spain and United States rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Spain ranks 74th and United States ranks 75th of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.